Friday May 4th, 2012 @ 7:39 AM

For some time now I’ve been considering getting my tongue pierced, letting heal and stretching it up to a larger gauge then getting it split. However, I do have a somewhat prominent sub-lingual vein, such that it’s easily visible by just pressing my teeth against it. I know that it is possible to pierce around the vein, but I was curious as to whether a split would be feasible.

Thanks much!

Most reputable body modification artists encourage people to NOT have a ‘tongue anchor’ before a split. You are far better to have nothing in there before the procedure as usually the split goes much further back than you can actually pierce.

The vein isn’t a big problem as any experienced piercer will be able to navigate around it and manipulate the tissue so that it is still straight and not hitting any veins. Good mod artists will stitch the tongue closed, stopping any excessive bleeding and swelling.

I have been piercing tongues for over 8 years now and I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a vein go from one side of the tongue to the other, so it would never be problematic for a split.

Friday May 4th, 2012 @ 7:30 AM

I got my tongue pierced on december 3rd of this year of 2011 its all going well but of last week I noticed that my tongue looks like its ripping or splitting behind it down into half my tongue n is now starting a lil in the front I want to know is this normal or from the swelling or what I should do? Leave it in? Or take it out? Or something I can do in help it go back to the way I was in also I put the short bar bell in 8 days after getting it pierced which is actually when it started in hasn’t gotin better n my ball piece on my tongue piercing seems to kinda be going into my tongue I just want to know what I should do

Sounds like you might be playing with it a bit. Any playing with it (sticking it out, moving it around your teeth or lips) will cause this sort of ‘tear’ on the top especially.

You may be best to get an in between downsize bar, perhaps around a 16mm. I normally pierce with 19mm and downsize to 13mm and sometimes do a 16mm after the swelling has gone down, but its still healing.

I say leave it in and if its snug, put in a slightly longer bar. If its loose make sure that you aren’t playing with it at all!

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 10:07 AM

I’ve had my tongue pierced for seven years, but I’ve heard they do close up very quickly even if they’ve been pierced for a long time. I’m having surgery later in the year, and will most likely have to take out all of my piercings for it. I’m worried it will close up. I also probably won’t be able to put it back in myself for awhile, because the surgery is on my chest, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to raise my arms high enough to do it. My fiancee is too squeamish to do it, and I don’t know if a nurse at the hospital would do it. Am I doomed to have to have it re-pierced after my surgery is healed, or is there a chance it would go back in after having it out for a week or so? Thank you!

Don’t stress too much I can never say never or always with piercing but i think its safe to say for a tongue as well healed as yours you will not lose the piercing.

Most well healed tongues will shrink but never fully close, so you yourself may not be able to get your jewelry back. Go to a good piercer and they should be able to re open your existing piercing by gently stretching the hole with a small taper back to the initial size, with little discomfort and little swelling.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 9:41 AM

I’ve had my tongue pierced for about 4 months now and I haven’t had any problems with it in regards to the healing process. Two days ago I decided to change the ring (which I’ve done before without any issues) and now I’m experiencing an extremely painful stinging. When changing the ring, I did feel a scratching feeling when I was taking it out, which usually happens, so I assumed that it wouldn’t be a problem afterwards. This time, I am still feeling the stinging on my tongue. It’s not the surface of my tongue that is paining, it is the inside of the piercing, if that makes any sense. I’ve tried washing mouth with mouth wash, which seems to make the actual hole tighter when I try to put the ring back in; and I’ve also tried rinsing with sea salt and water and none of these methods seem to be working. I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to what the problem might be and what I can do to fix it. I’ve been told that it might be an infection or ulcers, but I don’t know where I could have gotten it from. Thanks !

It could be a number of things, the first that comes to mind is a too short bar. This will often only present pain in a healed piercing when you tense your tongue (like talking or coughing) and is super easy to fit (put in a longer bar!)

Secondly it could be to do with your actual jewellery, make sure that its free from scratches or barbs. Many cheap manufactures will have little burs or funny bits at the ends.

Lastly, it could also be from plaque build up on the bottom ball. It’s totally normal for this to happen, but sometimes it can trap a bit of food or cause an irritating rough spot.

I would suggest to first try a brand new slightly longer (preferably internal thread titanium) barbell in there and see if it gets better. It might also be advisable to get a piercer to put it in and get them to check for any little bits of debris that might be trapped in the fistula. I’ve had a piece of pop-corn stuck in mine once! Not so much fun.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 8:42 AM

Hey everyone, I’ve got a question regarding the pain I’ve been feeling with my tongue piercing.. I find it understandable to have sensitivity issues with a new piercing, but I’ve had my tongue pierced for a couple years now and don’t know what the cause of my discomfort is. Occasionally, I get a stinging pain on the bottom of my tongue, directly around the exit hole of my tongue piercing around the barbell. Right now I have the pain for a couple days and it is a little more uncomfortable than usual but tolerable-no where else but just the bottom of my tongue directly around the barbell itself. There’s no swelling or signs of infection, but when the piercing moves around in my mouth or I just move my tongue I get a stinging pain. This started happening well after the piercing healed up too. Any idea what might be causing this and what it could be?

It could be a number of things, the first that comes to mind is a too short
bar. This will often only present pain in a healed piercing when you tense
your tongue (like talking or coughing) and is super easy to fit (put in a
longer bar!)

Secondly it could be to do with your actual jewellery, make sure that its
free from scratches or barbs. Many cheap manufactures will have little burs
or funny bits at the ends.

Lastly, it could also be from plaque build up on the bottom ball. It’s
totally normal for this to happen, but sometimes it can trap a bit of food
or cause an irritating rough spot.

I would suggest to first try a brand new slightly longer (preferably
internal thread titanium) barbell in there and see if it gets better. It
might also be advisable to get a piercer to put it in and get them to check
for any little bits of debris that might be trapped in the fistula. I’ve
had a piece of pop-corn stuck in mine once! Not so much fun.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 8:16 AM

I have had a tongue piercing before but had to remove it and it healed up.

I have being thinking about getting 2 new tongue piercings either venom’s or just two in the middle.

Is it best to have them both done at the same time or

separate?

Heya, I have found that clients that have had a tongue piercing for a decent period of time (around 1 year or more) can have their piercing tapered open again. This just means popping into your piercer and have them see if they can find the hole with a thinner sized taper than what you originally had the piercing at.

If this is the case then they can gently stretch the piercing back up and insert your jewelry which involves little discomfort and minimal swelling, then if the previous one was nicely placed and straight then they can go on and pierce the second either infront or behind depending on placement and comfort to teeth/gums ect.

If the previous piercing can not be re opened then you can go a head and get the new piercings. For a piercing one either side “venoms” get them both, get the swelling over and done with. For double in the center ask for your piercers advice after they have assessed your tongue, I would say get leave up to your piercers opinion.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 7:53 AM

I was wondering, are these bumps normal? i got them on my last piercing but i thought maybe it was because i was pregnant and i healed slowly because of that but i would like to know what are these exactly, why are they here, and what would be the best way to encourage them to leave :] thank you

What you are reffering to is hypertropic scar tissue and is quite common with tongue piercings (especially venoms), when they are played with or if they have incorrectly sized jewellery.

My suggestion would be to try and reduce/clear the scar tissue by reducing any aggrivation, either from playing with it or from eating and biting on it. If it doesn’t go down, go back to your piercer to see if you can get a shorter bar in - which will stop you from accidentally annoying it.

You can also purchase Asprin tablets (Aspro-Clear) and put 1/4 of a tablet on the offending tissue twice a day for a couple weeks, it will ‘bubble’ and fizz away the scar tissue and leave your healthy normal tongue tissue just fine. I usually only suggest this for FULLY HEALED piercings and if it makes your tongue swell at all, stop imediately.

If it continues to grow or doesn’t go away after that, go into a professional piercing studio and ask them about removing it. Some piercers will and have great results (myself included), some think it is dangerous and will not offer it as a service.

Personally I pierce venoms further apart (on the top) as to stop them from knocking against eachother, I have a feeling this could also be causing the scar tissue. Trying different tops could be a good idea, if all else fails. 4mm balls can often be worn on tongues without issue, however you have to be careful that they don’t dig in.

Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 @ 7:51 AM

Hey. I tried to submit a question earlier, but I have no clue if it was really submitted or not. But either way, I got my tongue pierced 4 days ago and I am very concerned with it getting infected, namely thrush because of the fact that I accidentally ate some food that has food in it that is made from dairy. Well for the past few days I’ve noticed that the back of my tongue from just behind the piercing on back is a yellowish color and I was wondering if this was normal? I have also noticed for the past couple of days that I have a sort of metallic taste in my mouth I was also wondering if this was normal? Then lastly, I was wondering if, instead of using the mouthwash that i’m currently using to rinse my mouth after every time I eat, is it okay to use the sea salt mixture in it’s place? Would using the sea salt mixture cut down on the possibility of getting an infection, like thrush, better than mouthwash? Sorry for all of the questions, i’m really anal about knowing everything that I can about what’s best for my piercings when they are healing.

Thanks for all your help.

Alice

Hello and first of all, relaaaaxxxxx. Our bodies are made to heal – its
what they do best. Sometimes over caring for an acute wound can actually
make it worse.

Eating dairy products, although is not necessarily recommended during the
initial healing phase, is okay – if you correctly rinse your mouth out
afterwards with saline solution or even in a pinch, normal water.

The discoloration that you are talking about is common with a fresh tongue
piercing. Sometimes bacteria (which are present in everyone’s mouth) can
build up and cause discoloration and smelly breath. Simply brush your
tongue, VERY gently, with your toothbrush and it will go away. Make sure
you don’t irritate the piercing while you do this.

The metallic taste you refer to is most likely the iron in your blood and
is 100% normal while it’s healing.

I suggest to use a non-alcohol based mouth rinse NO MORE than twice a day
(I do mine after breakfast and dinner). If you want to do more than that,
its fine, just use normal saline solution (eye-contact lens cleaner). This
will ensure a normal balance of good bacteria in your mouth, while
promoting quick healing.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 @ 12:55 PM

I am currently at 2gauge (6mm) in my tounge so my next stretch is the scary one the 2g to 0g I’m worried about this one seeing as my 6g to 4 g was not a fun expireance I am worried about jumping up 2mm, I would like to go to 7mm and then 0g but I don’t think I’m going to be able to find a 7mm barbell, I also don’t want to use ptfe tape as it smells awful even after wereing it for 2hours or so. Do you have any suggestions on how I will do this stretch without Hurting like a bitch and damaging my tounge, is there anyone on here who has done this stretch and could give me some advice? Cheers guys

I would suggest to get some 7mm jewellery first, they are very hard to find and you would most likely have to go custom.

I normally get all of my custom wood and polymer through Aesthetics and have used teflon for a number of clients and they all love it. Be sure to specify exactly what length you need (give a bit extra, to be safe) and you could go either single-flared (with an o-ring) or get a screw together one (they are REALLY neat!).

Best of luck on your stretching and remember, as always, to take it sloowwww and don’t jump sizes.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 @ 12:55 PM

I got my tongue pierced on 1-27-12 and on day two I noticed what looks like a skin tab forming just in front of the top hole, what is this? I’m following everything I have been told to do, please help I will put a link to a picture of it below!

http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w485/dylanr2468/818d05f2.jpg

What you are reffering to is hypertropic scar tissue and is quite common with tongue piercings when they are played with or if they have incorrectly sized jewellery. It’s hard to tell exactly, as the image you linked to didn’t work (404 error) - however this is my educated guess.

My suggestion would be to try and reduce/clear the scar tissue by reducing any aggrivation, either from playing with it or from eating and biting on it. If it doesn’t go down, go back to your piercer to see if you can get a shorter bar in - which will stop you from accidentally annoying it.

You can also purchase Asprin tablets (Aspro-Clear) and put 1/4 of a tablet on the offending tissue twice a day for a couple weeks, it will ‘bubble’ and fizz away the scar tissue and leave your healthy normal tongue tissue just fine. I usually only suggest this for FULLY HEALED piercings and if it makes your tongue swell at all, stop imediately.

If it continues to grow or doesn’t go away after that, go into a professional piercing studio and ask them about removing it. Some piercers will and have great results (myself included), some think it is dangerous and will not offer it as a service. I have heard of some people using nail-clippers (with the jewellery removed) to take the tissue off, however seek professional help before you think of doing any DIY stuff.

Please remember to attach images with your submission, so they don’t go missing.